Inside Out by Terry Trueman
This is a fiction story about a teen my age with schizophrenia. I really like this book because even though it may have been fiction, it still helped me learn more about schizophrenia. (I’ve always been interested about medical things.)-Pamela, age 16
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
This story is about one girl, Sylvia, who was one of the surviving 12 children in a Jewish ghetto back in the 1930s/’40s. I really like this story because even though these people never went to concentration camps, it still shows how the Jews suffered, but they learned how to be strong and how to overcome what was happening to them. –Pamela, age 16
Side Effects by Amy Goldman Koss
This book is about a young teenage girl who discovers that she has a lymphoma, or cancer. But until the time she goes into remission, this girl manages to get through the chemo and all the side effects using her amazingly sarcastic wit. Pretty cool book, because like the summary says, not everybody who gets cancer dies!-Pamela, age 16
Between Mom and Jo by Julie Ann Peters
It’s about a boy named Nick, who tells his story of how life is living with two moms. They go through all the things that every couple goes through, cancer, heartbreak, etc, except Nick has the added pressure of everyone making fun of him for having two moms. It’s a cool story. I didn’t really like it or dislike it.-Pamela, age 16
I read The Confession by R.L. Stine about six kids and one murder. The question was who is the killer and why are they confessing? I like this book because it was sort of horror but mystery, you just keep on reading more and more and it gets better.-Sarah, age 13
Lily B. on the Brink of Cool by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
I liked this book because it shows how you can get tricked by a person without even knowing. I would definitely recommend this book to readers. It shows you how to trust your parents, don’t fall for what people say, and it’s funny!-Sarah, age 13
Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
I really liked this book because it was really funny. I also liked how it taught me about Greek mythology. -Corinne, age 10
The Giver by Lois Lowry
One incredible book I read this summer is The Giver. It was quite fascinating how the author could think of such a strange world. It’s really cool. –Felicia, age 13
Even though The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman was on my reading list, I really enjoyed it. This is because it was full of action, mystery and magic. Also, the book was unpredictable.-Felicia, age 13
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The greatest book that came out this summer is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There is so much action, I couldn’t put it down. It also has a very unexpected ending. Felicia, age 13
The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy Hoobler
Seiki is a 14-year old tea merchant with a foolish dream-to become a samurai. While on the road to Edo, Seikei and his father stop at an inn. In the middle of the night, a precious ruby is stolen! Seiki and judge Ooka set on a journey to find the intentions of the criminal and the criminal!
-Chelsea, age 14
A Muggles Guide to the Wizarding World by Fionna Boyle was a good way to tell people about unknown Harry Potter facts. –Robert, age 11
Meet Kit, An American Girl by Valerie Tripp
I liked how I was learning about the Great Depression and also how they lived during that time.-Jesse, age 12
Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix
This book was really good because it talked about how this girl dies in an accident and ended up being cloned to a new person.-Rachel, age 14
I recently read Breaking Point by Alex Flinn. Although I enjoyed the book, it is not for everyone due to it’s sad and highly depressing story.
-Christian, age 15
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier is an absolutely gorgeous fantasy novel. It has a portal to the faerie realm, dancing, realistic characters, loyalty, and true love. I couldn’t ask for more in a book.-Christine, age 16
The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones
Despite my love of fantasy novels, I figured that this book would be a fluffy story about a faerie princess. I’m so glad I read it anyway because I was wrong. It does contain faerie princesses, but it’s also definitely an original story about love and betrayal. I can’t wait for the sequel!-Christine, age 16
Beautiful City of the Dead by Leander Watts
This is a fantastical blend of rock band dreams of a new genre of metal and struggling elemental gods. This is for teenagers who feel inexplicably different and work with that. –Christine, age 16
Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler
This is no trashy paperback romance novel. The characters are really funny-you feel about them exactly the way you’re supposed to. However, the limited time frame in the story made the progression of the plot feel rushed.-Christine, age 16
Rash by Pete Hautman is both hilarious and though provoking. It is a story of a not-too-distant future in which America has chosen safety over freedom.
–Christine, age 16
I liked the Callahan Cousins series by Elizabeth Doyle Carey. I liked how the girls stayed at their grandma’s for the whole summer. It was cool how they brought back a family tradition.-Samantha, age 12
Wuthering High by Cara Lockwood
This book is about this girl Miranda and she is the “everybody knows” girl in her school. But what she doesn’t know is she is getting sent to boarding school because she totaled her dad’s car and has been as you say, bad.
-Stephanie, age 17
The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler and Sarah Gibb
I liked it because it was about a normal 12 year-old girl in 7th grade, but then she finds out she’s a mermaid. I would recommend this book to other people.
–Courtney, age 12
The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
This book is really really great. It’s about this community made up of close relatives and family. They are very very religious. If they sin they either get the strap or have to sleep on needles. It’s told basically by the youngest daughter Ninah and how she goes through life with her family and beliefs.
-Stephanie, age 16
The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer is an interesting series. I like his out-of-the-box thinking, and I wonder at how the about 40-year-old bodyguard/friend Butler trusts Artemis wholly!-Olga, age 12
Hot Gimmick (manga series) by Miki Aihara
Good setting and detailed story. Very cute outfits too!-Olga, age 12
Othello (manga series) by Satomi Ikizawa
Cool modern split personality story with a hypnotic storyline and cute round eyes!-Olga, age 12
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
This book was great and interesting. It’s about Hannah who’s Jewish. Her Grandfather tells her to open the door to Elijah. She opens it and she’s in a new world from the past. The Nazi’s were there and they took all the Jews into a cold dark cell. You should read this book, it’s interesting.
-Ashley, age 10
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
This book is about a girl (black) living in a white people’s world. I didn’t like this book because it shows how there is racism back then and still now in America. . –Kayleigh, age 16
I liked the book The Demon Thief because it was about this boy who sees lights that ends up in another world known as demonatra. Searching for his brother, Art, he ends up searching with a group of demon hunters to find his brother.-Maya, age 12
I loved Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli because the message was for you to be yourself and not be ashamed of it.-Mariela, age 12
I read Briar’s Book from The Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce. It summed up the series beautifully, I believe. It showed that with hard wok and determination nothing is impossible.-Kelly, age 13
Define Normal by Julie Ann Peters
I liked this book because one of the main characters, Jazz, is almost like my friend who I am trying to get to express her natural artistic abilities. And the other main character, Antonia, is like me helping Jazz, being liked by teachers and getting good grades.-Sunny, age 12
A book I read this summer was Toning the Sweep by Angela Johnson. It was an excellent book. It told about a girls life and how there is a tradition in her family when someone passed on. I loved this book and would recommend it to others. It’s very inspirational and taught me a life lesson. So if you read it, enjoy!-Jennifer, age 15
Mahalia by Joanne Horniman
This book was great. It shows how a teenage father can take care of caring and loving even though at times he doesn’t know what to do.
-Stephanie, age 17
Letting Go of Lisa by Lurlene McDaniel
Lisa is a girl who seems very bad but when you come to know her she is as nice and wonderful as Nathan says. Nate comes to like this girl a lot and when he thinks he got to know her, she has a secret and is not willing to speak.-Stephanie, age 17
The Geography Club by Brent Hartinger
Russel has faced the music-he’s gay and has even told strangers online about his sexuality. However, when Russel discovers he is not the only one who is gay at his high school-the fellow students start the Geography Club. Then, when rumors fly about a gay club at school, the Geography Club begins to unravel.-Chelsea, age 15
A Samurai Never Fears Death by Dorothy Hoobler
Seiki Ooka is a 16-year old samurai in training who was born as a lowly merchant’s son. When Seiki and his father return to his hometown to investigate suspicious activity, they both get more than they bargained for. Young Seiki must go under cover as puppeteer to unravel the mystery of not one but two murders.-Chelsea, age 15
Far From Xanadu by Julie Ann Peters
A story of a lesbian teen who finds herself in love with a beautiful and irresistible girl-the one and only Xanadu. The main character, Mike Szabo, finds herself in many situations teens endure everyday-falling in love, meeting someone you’ve never seen before, fighting to recover from the loss of her drunk father, and being a superstar in softball. An enjoyable and heartbreaking story.-Chelsea, age 15
